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• Engaging video illustrating normal and abnormal heart function
• 2 minutes 54 seconds of stylised imagery with voice over
• Available in English and 6 more languages and with closed captions: o Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Polish and Welsh
• Designed for use by anyone who needs to educate on heart function
• At least 1 million people are affected by heart failure in the UK[i] with a further 200,000 newly diagnosed each year
• 80% of heart failure is diagnosed in hospital, often as an emergency
• ‘Freedom from Failure’ – The F word’ and raise public awareness of the common symptoms of heart failure to motivate early seeking of medical advice to improve outcomes - The F Word is Failure #TheFWord #FreedomfromFailure
  

The British Society for Heart Failure (BSH), the professional association for heart failure care in the UK, is launching an animated video, just under 3 minutes in length, in English and 6 more languages for use by those who need to educate on heart function. Intended for health care professionals across healthcare settings, it is equally applicable for student use and for self-education.

At least 1 million people are affected by heart failure in the UK[i] with a further 200,000 newly diagnosed each year. Chronic heart failure is a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly. It usually occurs because the heart has become too weak or stiff. Ejection fraction (the percentage of the blood within the ventricles that is ejected during the cardiac cycle) is one of the most important measurements of heart function. When the pumping action of the heart is weak it is referred to as HFrEF - heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and when it is stiff and does not relax properly, it is referred to HFpEF - heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. For HFrEF, there are many drug treatments that improve survival and this year we have seen the first treatments emerge for people with HFpEF.

The video will be a useful educational resource in primary care with the publication of the NHS England & Improvement Primary Care Network (PCN) cardiovascular disease CVD service requirements (DES) for 2022/23 which states that from 1 April 2022, a PCN must:

e. Support the earlier identification of heart failure (HF), through building awareness among PCN staff around the appropriate HF diagnostic pathway, and early identification processes for HF including the timely use of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NTProBNP) testing.

Welcomed and supported by the BSH as early diagnosis is pivotal for improving outcomes for those with heart failure. In addition, people with heart failure should be encouraged to seek understanding of and actively self-manage their condition. Self-care includes physical activity, avoiding excessive salt intake, maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and not smoking. It is also important to recognise changes in symptoms and know when to contact a health professional.

Produced as part of the ‘Freedom from Failure – the F Word’ 5 year strategy, the animated video adds to a repository of resources provided by BSH to make heart failure a national priority. It must not be underestimated that the risk of death from heart failure is higher than for some of the most common cancers[ii] therefore heart failure should be recognised, detected and treated with the same urgency as a disease as malignant as cancer[iii].

BSH Chair, Professor Roy Gardner, Consultant Cardiologist, Heart Failure Specialist, Golden Jubilee Hospital, Glasgow commented: “Heart failure is arguably the biggest success story of modern day medicine, we have made extraordinary progress over the last 2 decades. And whilst it remains a burdensome, often debilitating condition, with appropriate management it is possible for people to live well with heart failure. Outcomes can be dramatically improved through earlier, faster diagnosis and expediting optimal treatment onto guideline recommended therapies[v]. This is an important aim of the care we provide as Heart Failure Specialists.”